~ firearms and fermentation

I told ya so!

Actually, I didn’t, at least not yet. I’ve long been on a rant that 22 ounce bombers are almost never a good deal. I typically start the conversation asking what is the most you would spend on a 12 ounce bottle of an unknown beer. The typical response is $2.50 to $3. Then I ask what would you spend on a bomber and the response is generally around $10. The glass, cap and label costs for the 22 ounce bomber are very similar to a 12 ounce bottle, but the brewery is saving the cost of the glass on the second bottle and providing 22 ounces as opposed to 24 ounces. Sure it is only 8.3% less, but if they charged double for the bomber what a single 12 ounce bottle was they would save not only the bottle costs, but the cost of the contents. Mind you this is not some brewery conspiracy to increase profits, but it does have that feel to it.

This week I was in a store and happened to notice they had 12 ounce singles of a beer as well as a 22 ounce bomber and so I snapped a photo of each. The 12 ounce bottle was $1.99 or 17 cents per ounce, the 22 ounce bomber was $4.99 or 22 cents per ounce. Had the per ounce price been applied to the 12 ounce it should have cost $2.72 or had the 12 ounce per ounce price been applied to the bomber it should have cost $3.64. I didn’t think to check the price of a six-pack, but I noticed two websites listing it at $8.99. So a per ounce six-pack price would be 12 1/2 cents, and the packaging includes a cardboard carrier. We all know singles are more expensive than a six-pack, but should a bomber be almost 2X the per ounce price of a sixer?

Anyway, before you blindly grab for a bomber, check out the single bottle price especially if you are unsure if the beer will be stellar or not. It may be more cost-effective to opt for two singles than a bomber or if you know the beer rocks the house, just get a six-pack and save some coin.